


Connection

by Hours_Gone_By



Series: AU Yeah AUgust 2019 [14]
Category: The Transformers (Cartoon Generation One), Transformers Generation One, Transformers – All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe – Soul Mates, But after all that, Citizenship, Family, Fluff, Gen, Government-Mandated Vision Quests, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Imprinting, M/M, Priests, Siblings, Soulmates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Visions, au yeah august
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:08:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23262232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hours_Gone_By/pseuds/Hours_Gone_By
Summary: In Petrex, everyone is required to spend a night in the Temple of Primus to have a vision of their key element, someone who will be important in their lives, before a certain sparking-day. But 'important' and 'positive' aren't the same thing and Prowl's creator has always tried to protect him from having to have his vision. Unfortunately, that could only work so long and the time is up.
Relationships: Breakneck (OC) & Prowl, Prowl & Bluestreak
Series: AU Yeah AUgust 2019 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1441549
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47





	Connection

**Author's Note:**

> AU Yeah August 2019 – Day 23: Imprinting
> 
> Prompt: Everyone has a “Soulmate Sighting," where, on their 18th birthday, they are inevitably brought to meet someone who will show up in their life until death, for better or worse. Some take every means to avoid or trigger it; you, however, have protective parents who never told you when your birthday is.
> 
> Source: https://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/189552831225/everyone-has-a-soulmate-sighting-where-on

For as long as anyone could remember when a mech turned eighteen or reached their adult upgrades, whichever came first, they went to the local Temple of Primus to have a vision. The vision was supposed to be of someone who would be important to them or have a significant impact on their life. Formally called 'key elements,' they were more popularly known as 'spark mates,' even though the relationship between key elements wasn't always romantic. It wasn't even necessarily positive, something Prowl well knew; his creator's key element and Prowl's other code donor was in prison for abuse. His creator had tried to keep Prowl safe from the same fate by keeping Prowl's exact sparking date a secret, even from Prowl. If no one knew when he turned eighteen, Breakneck hoped, then he could never be brought to the Temple for his vision.

In most cities, the vision for your key element was a strong tradition that most mecha observed but not considered a necessity. In Petrex, where Prowl lived with his creator and step-sator, it was enforced by law. It hadn't been that way when they'd moved here, but things had changed, and it had gotten harder to leave. Still, they'd thought Prowl safe because his sparking date wasn't supposed to be on record. They'd been wrong, and now Prowl stood in the hallway outside the living room and listened to his creators argue with the priests.

"He's not eighteen yet," Hunter was arguing. "Even if he was, he's got citizenship through us, he can't be disqualified just for not going for the vision."

"Besides, Prowl should be allowed to choose," Breakneck added. "If he's meant to find his key element, he shouldn't need a vision to do it."

"The laws have changed since you checked them last, I think," the priest said, more than a touch smugly. "He might not lose his citizenship, but his opportunities will be restricted, unlike those who agree to fulfill their function. This includes the right to travel beyond Petrex's borders."

"He's still not – "

"Yes, he is," the priest said, interrupting Hunter's protestation that Prowl wasn't eighteen. "His designation came up in the temple records. We have the date his spark was drawn from Vector Sigma on more secure records than the ones you somehow had scrubbed. Prowl is due for his spark mate sighting, and he will be presented at the temple immediately."

"No, he – "

Prowl stopped the argument cold by coming into the room. "It's alright, Creator, Sator. I'll do it."

"Prowl," Breakneck said, not entirely hiding the fear in his voice. "Having a key element, it's not always as wonderful as the stories say."

Hunter put his arm around Breakneck and Prowl went over to him as well.

"I know, Creator," Prowl said, putting a hand on Breakneck's shoulders. "I remember," aware of the priest's presence, Prowl cut short the reference to his biological sator, "him. I'll be careful and-and in a lot of ways the laws really are better now."

"It wasn't all bad," Breakneck said, managing a smile. "He gave me you." Breakneck framed Prowl's face in his hands, touched their foreheads together briefly. "You don't – we could find another way if you wanted."

Prowl smiled reassuringly at his creator. "It's alright. I'll go. It's easier."

"We'll be here when you're done, Prowl," Hunter said quietly when Breakneck let Prowl go. Hunter's strong arms hugged Prowl close. "Remember, whether you see something or not, it's not some vision that controls your life. It's you."

"I will, Sator," Prowl promised. "Don't worry. I'll be back tomorrow."

"I know." Over their secure family comm, Hunter added, _'Priests or no priests, if you need us, Prowl, call. I don’t care about tradition. I care about you.'_

_'I know. I will. Try not to worry, I'll be fine.'_

Even though he had tried to reassure his creators, Prowl could hear them murmuring to each other as he left with the priest. He wanted to contact them again, try to tell them it would be alright, but he didn't want them to think he was worried. Prowl didn't expect anything to happen, and if his so-called key element was anything like his code donor, Prowl knew how to cut ties with them. Besides, not everyone even had a vision; Hunter hadn't and, adopted or not, Prowl hoped to take after his sator.

At the Temple, Prowl patiently put up with the prayers and mandatory blessings, then let them escort him into the small room where he'd spend the night. The priest lit the small oil votives and some incense, blessed Prowl again, and left, locking him inside.

Prowl immediately snuffed the incense, whose smoke was already starting to bother him, then examined the room. Aside from the votives, the incense, and the small alcoves they sat in, the room held only a small altar and a spot where Prowl was apparently supposed to sit and contemplate his key. At least it was padded. Lacking anything else to do, Prowl sat.

Following the instructions he'd been given, Prowl cleared his mind and tried to focus on the idea of his key element. Instead, memories kept drifting to the surface, not any kind of vision of the future.

_"Prowl, brightspark," Breakneck said, drawing him forward to where a mech Prowl didn't know stood. "I want you to meet Hunter. I've been seeing him for the past few deca-cycles, and I'd like you two to get to know each other."_

_Prowl stayed close to his creator's side, looking at Hunter. "Do you yell a lot?" Prowl asked, and a brief look of sadness crossed Hunter's face._

_"I'll never yell, especially not at you or your creator, Prowl," Hunter said gently. "I promise."_

_Prowl heard his sator start shouting at his creator in the living room, a lot louder than Prowl had heard it before. There was a noise, sudden and clanging, that Prowl didn't recognize, but young as he was, he knew it was a bad sound. His teacher at playgroup had said that when things were bad, and you didn't know what to do, you should call the Enforcers. There was no comm unit in Prowl's room since he was too young, but there was one in his creators' room, and Prowl knew how to be very quiet. The Enforcer he talked to was very nice and stayed on the line with him until the other Enforcers came. His sator was taken away that night and Prowl didn't ever see him again, and he didn't miss him either._

_"Why did you have me?" Prowl asked his creator._

_Frowning, Breakneck put his hands on Prowl's shoulders and looked intently into his optics. "Because I wanted you. Prowl? Listen to me, brightspark: I've always loved you, and I_ wanted _you. It was – was one of the good periods, and we were trying for a sparklet. You were planned, love, you were always wanted. Maybe his motivation was just to use you to control me, but whatever, however, he felt,_ I. Wanted. You. _Do you understand?"_

_Prowl nodded, feeling as if a weight had just dropped off him. "So, it wasn't - ?"_

_"No," Breakneck said, pulling Prowl close for a reassuring hug. "It wasn't."_

Eventually, the memories faded, and Prowl fell into a sort of doze, aware of his surroundings but not quite awake. He was not sure if he was dreaming. It didn't feel like a dream, nor like a memory, and certainly it was not like being awake. He was somehow both sitting and standing in the room and in a strange featureless plain filled with mist at the same time. Despite the peculiar location and the weird duality of feeling like he was in two places at once, Prowl felt perfectly calm. Hunter hadn't had a vision and Breakneck had just had the impression of a face and the feeling of being followed. Apart from that, Prowl had only the way visions were portrayed in popular media to go on, and none of them were exactly like this. Perhaps visions were different for everyone. Prowl was just wondering if something would happen, or if he had to do something when a little shimmer of light flickered into existence in front of him.

Not sure why but feeling compelled to do so anyway, Prowl put his hand out. The light settled in his palm, shaping itself into a sphere of energy, one he recognized. A spark – no, a spark _let_.

"Hello there, little spark," Prowl said. In this place, it felt as if holding a sparklet in his hand, when it should have been contained in a host parent's chamber and tethered to the parent spark, was an everyday occurrence. In this strange place, it did feel normal. He frowned, wondering if it could be his sparklet. He hadn't interfaced or attempted to self-spark, but even as he considered it, he somehow knew the answer was 'no.' He was puzzled for a moment, but another memory surfaced, one far more recent than the others. From just a few cycles ago, in fact.

_Prowl walked into the house, and the first thing he heard was his creator's delighted laugh, followed by a low, warm, "oh, lover!" from his sator. Not wanting to walk into anything, or overhear anything either, he called out that he was home. There was a fast shifting of metal from the living room, and he caught a quiet, "don't tell Prowl," as his creators got themselves in order. He smiled and shook his head a little: as if he didn't know his creators interfaced by this point! He just called back that he was going to be in his room for a bit and smiled again, indulgently, at the sound of two mecha going back into a clinch._

_Oh._ Not 'don't tell Prowl we've been interfacing' but 'don't tell Prowl a sparklet's been initialized yet.' It wasn't much of a leap of logic, not in the middle of a vision with a brightly pulsing little spark in his palm. If his creators had initialized a sparklet, they'd want to keep it quiet until they were sure the newspark had was stable and was unlikely to be reabsorbed.

"You must be my sibling," Prowl said softly, cupping both hands around the sparklet and bringing it closer to his chest. "I'll take care of you. I promise."

Even though it couldn't understand words or even his tone, the sparklet spun and pulsed in Prowl's hands as if it were happy. Prowl, who always wanted a sibling and knew how the joy this would bring to his creators, smiled warmly at it. He watched the light in his hands for a long, long time.

* * *

Despite the escort he'd had to the Temple to make sure he went, now that he'd fulfilled the vision requirement, Prowl was permitted to leave in the morning on his own. It was still early, but he knew his creators would be worried and so declined the offer of breakfast and just headed back. His creators were in the entryway as soon as he walked into the house. They must have been watching for his return. Prowl hoped they hadn't been up all night.

"Prowl?" Breakneck asked anxiously.

"Everything's fine," Prowl assured his creator, putting his hands on the mech's shoulders. "I did have a vision, but it went well. I, ah, I saw the sparklet. My sibling. They're my key."

"Ah," Breakneck sighed in pure relief, pulling Prowl close with one arm and reaching back for Hunter with his free hand. "You're both going to be safe."

"Yes," Prowl said, hugging his creator. "We are."

* * *

By the time Prowl's sibling was ready to emerge, be installed in their structure, and come online, the family had managed to leave Petrex in favour of Praxus. Prowl began to attend the Academy of Cybertronian Law Enforcement at Praxus, while Hunter kept working as an Enforcer. Breakneck couldn't race while he was carrying, and as he got closer to emergence spent a lot of time in recharge since the sparklet demanded more and more resources. Breakneck mostly just woke to fuel and maybe talk briefly with his partner and eldest creation, then went back to recharge. When Breakneck got the alert that the sparklet's emergence was due within a few joors, Prowl went with him and Hunter to the emergence clinic.

Most of emergence was waiting, while the sparklet installed itself in its new structure and booted up for the first time. Hunter and Prowl talked over comms while Breakneck slept as the host parent protocols uninstalled, and his self-repair systems began to reverse the effects of carrying. Breakneck woke up half a joor before Prowl's new sibling began to come online, slightly groggy but eager to meet his youngest creation. Prowl remembered booting up to creators who were overjoyed to see him as well, and he was glad to know his sibling's life would continue to be happy.

Prowl hung back while his creators greeted their newest creation, wanting to make sure they got enough time. He stepped forward to be introduced to his sibling once Hunter and Breakneck were finally able to let him go.

"Bluestreak, this is your sibling, Prowl," Breakneck said, loving and proud of both his creations.

Bluestreak smiled brightly and immediately hugged Prowl close. Prowl hugged him back, and Bluestreak cuddled against him.

"Hello, little spark," Prowl said gently. "Welcome."

"Hi, Prowl! I'm Bluestreak. Are you much older than I am?"

"Yes, but that doesn’t matter. I love you even so."

"I know," Bluestreak said, with blithe assurance. After all, everyone present _did_ love him, and he'd literally never known anything else but affection. "I love you too. And we're always going to be there for each other, right?"

Prowl smiled and hugged his sibling, his key, a little more tightly. Bluestreak had no idea. "Yes. We are."


End file.
